Awesome news about missing California family!

[TrumanB]

I saw this on the news this morning and was heartbroken, because I feared the worst. It gets you thinking about your own family. They were found this afternoon after being missing for 3 days.

http://www.cnn.com/2007/US/12/19/missing.family.found/index.html

Snowbound family's 'Help' sign leads to rescue

(CNN) -- Stranded in the snowy California woods for three days after losing their way while searching for a Christmas tree, a father and his three children fashioned a "Help" sign out of twigs on a nearby unpaved road, according to the helicopter pilots who found them.

The four sought shelter from the snow in a culvert and removed their sodden socks in an effort to stay warm and dry while they waited for rescue, the pilots said.

"They were very happy to see us," said Officer Steve Ward, who was piloting the California Highway Patrol chopper.

Frederick Dominguez and his children -- Christopher, 18; Lexi, 14; and Joshua, 12 -- were reported missing Monday night by Dominguez's former wife and the children's mother, Lisa Sams, according to police in Paradise, California, a town of 27,000 people about 90 miles north of Sacramento.

Police vehicles equipped with snow chains rumbled up mountain roads to help conduct the search, which also involved a snowmobile and dogs. More than 80 searchers scoured the woods Wednesday until the four were found about 1 p.m. (4 p.m. ET).

Ward said he was heading out ahead of bad weather when he spotted Dominguez coming out of the culvert and waving. "We were very lucky that we just saw this guy at the last second."

Paramedic Flight Officer Dave White, who was with Ward, said that after the two shut down the helicopter and waved the family over, all four came running. "The little girl was in tears," he said.

Ward said the family told him "they were out there Christmas tree hunting and they got stuck in the snow and got lost."

Paradise police Sgt. Steve Rowe said he had been told the family was in good condition. Dominguez and one of the youths appeared to be, according to video footage from the search command post. As the two exited a helicopter, they smiled as onlookers cheered. Authorities wrapped blankets around them and led them to an ambulance.

White said the family was found north of where ground crews were searching. The pilots could see a "Help" sign they had made with twigs on a nearby four-wheel-drive road, he said.

The culvert where the family sought shelter had a stream running through it, White said. The family had removed their wet socks and were wearing only their shoes in an effort to stay dry, he said.

White said because of the approaching weather, he and Ward did not have time to conduct a medical evaluation of the family.

"We just asked them if they were OK," he said. "They said their feet were a little bit cold, but they're going to be fine."

Butte County Search and Rescue dispatcher Madde Watts said, "they had angels with them, for sure."

The search riveted those in Paradise and beyond.

Mayor Alan White, whose son played soccer on the same team as Joshua last year, said he and many others in and around Paradise have cut Christmas trees in the same place where the family vanished. When winter weather sours there, he said, people in the woods can get lost quickly.

"If you're 50 feet from your car, you might not be able to find it," he said.

Although police found the family's car, it offered no clues as to where they might have gone.

The inaccessible area is beyond the reach of cell phones, authorities have said.

Paradise High principal Mike Lerch said students had volunteered to help in the search. "This is a good family," he said.

Christopher Dominguez had graduated from the school a few months ago, Lerch said, and Lexi is a sophomore there. Joshua attends Paradise Intermediate School.

[rincewind]

Great story. Glad their okay, especially since that makes me feel better about laughing thinking about the Griswolds at the beginning of Christmas Vacation. :laugh:

[Tastes Like Chicken]

Glad to hear that they were rescued!

[TXREDSKINS44]

Great story. Griswolds at the beginning of Christmas Vacation. :laugh:

That's exactly what I was thinking as I read the article. :laugh:

[Teller]

Great news. It's always glad to hear positive stories in these days of bad news leading every newscast.

And you're right, Truman. Once you have kids, it becomes incredibly difficult to watch the news as an "outsider." You can't help but think about your own children in whatever the situation is. Definitely provides a whole new perspective on the news of the day.

Anyway, glad this family is home safe.